Jewells of Thought

Heading back to the Cemetery this morning almost always feels good. It means exercise time and about half of the time we can say it is actually peaceful. I guess we have to have a reason to pay the mowers right!

There are times they beat us and vice versa. Today once again they beat us probably because I couldn’t get out of bed this morning. Still we got our walk in before 8 am.

As soon as we got there I wanted to immediately see Uncle Dick’s graveside. I remember even as we were on our way out of the cemetery after the service the digger went into action processing the casket and duties that followed. It’s funny how I have never really observed these little bits and pieces about the process of a burial. Yet this time I did. “Where is thy sting, death?” No one is immune to death, but I don’t feel the sting knowing that my Great Uncle is in no more pain and got to finally meet Christ face to face as soon as he woke up on that other side.

Perhaps being an adult all of my experiences have finally brought me to this understanding. It took a long time though and a couple of my Grandpa’s deaths to come to this realization, after those facts.

Mom and I have been walking at the cemetery for a long time. Every once in a while a vehicle comes around when it’s just us there and some have freaked us out and others have really freaked us out. Uncle Dick was one of them that freaked us out at least once. He was driving his red van we didn’t know it was him until we got closer to him. Then we ended up talking for quite a bit, but then I remember him saying he didn’t have an air conditioner so then we would say our goodbyes and he would take off. So every once in a while he would be cruising the cemetery while we were walking and then of course we knew what he drove, but that first time he spooked us.

He wasn’t and probably won’t be the last one Larry Bedwell spooked us pretty good too. He has blacked out windows and we couldn’t see through it made us a little nervous until he either rolled down the window or got out of the truck I don’t remember which he did. We then talked for a few minutes before he took off and we went back to walking. I have been fortunate enough to have spent several months sitting with him and Dale at church until I started realizing I needed to be with Grandma Betty.

This morning it did my heart so good to see the grave looking nice and neat as can be with a mound of dirt. Most of the flowers were taken by family, but I found it rather intriguing that one specific flower was left at the forefront.

The Sunflower was in the prominent spot on top of the dirt. Someone diligently made sure the flowers were placed on top like the always do yet I still find it quite a divine sign for some reason that the Sunflower right in the spot that it is in is for a reason. I have recently learned a little bit about Sunflowers and love. This seems fitting as a child of God and the love he had for his family. That love is why he made sure his funeral service was in his church to give his family one last effort to hear the Gospel message from his friend and Pastor.

These photos illuminate different facts from yesterday. Besides the Sunflower, they had to move a stone to do the digging as you can see. I can’t imagine all the different scenarios these workers have to go through whether rain or shine; it can’t always be so easily done. They did a good job though and set us up a good place for the burial service yesterday. Uncle Dick was born in 1939. My Grandma was his niece, but she was 3 years older than him. He was also born on June 19th my Grandparents were married in a civil wedding in Sullivan on June 17th. Rosie and Freddy, my grandparents always had something good to say about Uncle Dick. Talk about a reunion I can only imagine the moment he woke up and saw everyone he had been missing for years. And yes it is extremely hard to type this without crying!

Another reason the Cemetery is a peaceful solitude only the bodies are in the graves not their souls. The question is did they make the right decision to be reunited with loved ones as Dick did when he awoke?